Montvale, NJ Real Estate Guide for Buyers, Sellers & Renters

Montvale is the northernmost New Jersey stop on the Pascack Valley Line, a Bergen County borough of 8,436 residents as of the 2020 Census, covering about four square miles along the New York State line. It became a borough on August 31, 1894, formed mainly from Washington Township with a western piece of the old Orvil Township. Today it pairs a small railroad-era downtown with a corporate office corridor and some of the newest mixed-use development in the county. Here's what buyers, sellers, renters and investors should know about Montvale.

Why People Choose Montvale

Montvale's downtown grew up around the railroad. The line reached the borough in 1871, and the stop at Grand Avenue and Kinderkamack Road pulled the town center east from its original crossroads at Spring Valley Road and Summit Avenue.

The other side of Montvale is DePiero Drive, home to Borough Hall, the Montvale Free Public Library, The District (the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters site) and The Shoppes at DePiero Farm, anchored by Wegmans. Office and commercial activity also runs along Chestnut Ridge Road, Craig Road, Paragon Drive and Summit Avenue, including KPMG's property on Chestnut Ridge Road.

Recreation is borough-run. Montvale maintains four parks totaling 32 acres, with fields and courts for baseball, softball, soccer, football, tennis, basketball and pickleball. Huff Park on Memorial Drive has a playground and bocce courts, and the borough's Environmental Learning Center trail includes glacial erratics, fossil imprints and a dinosaur footprint cast found during construction off West Grand Avenue.

Getting Around: Commuting from Montvale

• Train: Montvale station, at Railroad and Grand Avenues, is the first New Jersey stop on NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line after Pearl River, NY. Trains run south to Hoboken Terminal, with a transfer at Secaucus Junction for New York Penn Station, and north to Spring Valley, NY.
• Station parking: Two small borough permit lots sit on Railroad Avenue and Grand Avenue East, and a larger NJ Transit lot at Wortendyke Avenue and Kinderkamack Road offers free parking, though not overnight.
• Bus: Coach USA's Rockland Coaches lists Montvale stops on routes 11T, 11AT, 45 and 47 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown.
• Car: The Garden State Parkway's Exit 172 at Grand Avenue serves Montvale, with Exit 171 just south in Woodcliff Lake. Kinderkamack Road (County Route 503) and Chestnut Ridge Road are the main local routes.

Neighborhoods and Housing Types

Montvale is largely an ownership market. Census Bureau estimates show about 80% of occupied homes are owner-occupied. According to Census figures in the borough's 2025 housing plan, roughly two-thirds of homes were built before 1980, though more than one in five went up after 2000. The main options:

• Single-family homes: About 63% of the housing stock, spread across the borough's single-family zoning districts.
• Townhouses and attached homes: About 14% of homes.
• Two-to-four unit buildings: Two-family homes make up about 7% of the stock, and three- and four-unit buildings about 9%.
• Newer mixed-use and multifamily: The borough's housing plan lists North Market, a mixed-use development, and Woodland Square at Montvale, a recently completed multifamily community, along with homes at The District.

More change is ahead. Under Montvale's Fourth Round affordable housing settlement, the KPMG property could be rezoned for 250 homes, 50 of them affordable, or for a data center. A proposed amendment, which would require 50 affordable units under the data center option too, is before the court. We track these plans for clients buying or selling nearby.

Buying a Home in Montvale

Buyers here often weigh a single-family home against a townhouse or a newer unit near DePiero Drive. A few things we help you check:

• Flood zones: The borough's housing plan maps about 89 acres of FEMA special flood hazard area, and Pascack Brook and several smaller brooks run through town. We check flood maps and insurance needs before you make an offer.
• Older-home inspections: With so much of the stock built before 1980, plan a thorough inspection covering roof, electrical, plumbing, heating and drainage, and ask for the permit history.
• Townhouse and condo associations: We review fees, reserves, rules and any planned assessments.
• Two-to-four unit homes: An FHA loan lets you buy one with a low down payment as long as you live in one of the units.
• Property taxes: Taxes are a major part of any New Jersey budget. We pull the current tax figure for every home you're considering.

Need financing? We can connect you with a lender for pre-approval before you start touring.

Selling Your Montvale Home

Montvale sellers can point to direct rail service and a Parkway interchange in town. Value still depends on property type, lot, condition, flood exposure and distance to the station. A detached home, a townhouse and a newer condo each compete in a different market. We'll prepare a free comparative market analysis using recent sales of homes like yours, then market your home across the MLS and every major online channel.

Renting and Investing in Montvale

About one in five Montvale homes is renter-occupied, and the new multifamily and mixed-use buildings have added rental choice. Investors should watch the redevelopment sites in the borough's housing plan. We help investors estimate realistic rents, taxes, insurance and repairs, and we help landlords price, market and screen tenants.

Local Landmarks and Amenities

• Octagon House, 13 West Grand Avenue, an 1850s octagon-style house the borough acquired in 2021 and now offers as a meeting room
• Montvale station building at Kinderkamack Road and Grand Avenue, which also has a borough meeting room
• Montvale Free Public Library, inside Borough Hall at 12 DePiero Drive, founded in 1975
• Huff Park, 1 Memorial Drive
• Environmental Learning Center trail and the Montvale Community Garden
• The Shoppes at DePiero Farm and The District, on DePiero Drive
• Public schools: Montvale Public Schools (Memorial Elementary School and Fieldstone Middle School) and the Pascack Valley Regional High School District, including Pascack Hills High School

Nearby Town Guides

Comparing Montvale with nearby towns? Read our guides to Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake and Upper Saddle River, or browse all of our North Jersey town guides.

Talk to a Local Broker

The Thompson Realty Group is a licensed New Jersey real estate brokerage based at 20 MacArthur Ave in Garfield, serving buyers, sellers, renters and investors across Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. Whether you're a first-time FHA buyer, a cash investor, or a homeowner wondering what your place is worth, we'll give you straight answers about Montvale.

Call or text 201-928-5562 or book a free 15-minute consultation. You can also search every active New Jersey listing on our website.

Information on this page is provided for general guidance and is believed accurate as of October 2026. Programs, ordinances, taxes and transit schedules change, so please verify details for any specific property. Equal Housing Opportunity.